David Cronenberg to Remake His Own ‘The Fly’ Remake?

Stop the presses, hold everything, wait, wait wait…. excuse me? David Cronenberg is returning to The Fly as the auteur will develop a reboot of his own 1986 classic with Fox, the studio that released that film, directing and potentially writing the new pic. You can read all of the details below, but what I realllllllly want to know is, what do YOU guys think? This one’s definitely got me scratching my head. How could it possibly be better?The move marks an about-face for the Canadian director, who in the past has said he did not want to be involved on a remake of the film. Cronenberg did work on an opera version of “The Fly” that was staged first in Paris and then in Los Angeles.

The 1986 title, itself a remake of Kurt Neumann’s 1958 sci-fi classic, starred Jeff Goldblum and became a huge hit for Fox, earning $40 million and turning into a phenomenon. It centered on Seth Brundle (Goldblum), an eccentric scientist who, after an experiment with teleportation goes awry, is transformed into a fly. Geena Davis starred as Goldblum’s love interest and partner, Veronica.

A sequel three years later with which Cronenberg was not involved — it was directed by Chris Walas, who did effects work on the 1986 version — did not fare as well, and was panned by critics and largely ignored by filmgoers.

The project would represent a chance for Cronenberg to return to a film that helped establish his career, but to do so in the effects age, using techniques that weren’t possible nearly a quarter-century ago.

A return to “The Fly” would also mark the latest in a mini-trend of directors remaking their own work. Michael Haneke last year remade his thriller “Funny Games” while Werner Herzog reimagined his doc “Little Dieter Learns to Fly” with the 2006 feature “Breaking Dawn.”

Cronenberg recently moved agencies, going from ICM to WME. He’s attached to direct “The Matarese Circle,” an adaptation of the Robert Ludlum best-seller, at Universal.